


There's A Lot

by ifdragonscouldtalk, Pepin_the_Short



Series: Your Worst Inhibitions (Psych AU) [2]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, BAMF Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Case Fic, Comedy, Crushes, Dadmiral Christopher Pike, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gangsters, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Insecure James T. Kirk, Insecure Spock (Star Trek), James T. Kirk Has Issues, Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Christopher Pike Friendship, M/M, McSpirk endgame, Multi, Past Abuse, Psych (2006) AU, Rated T for language, References to Drugs, Spock Has Issues (Star Trek), Spock has anxiety, These boys need therapy, sarek is a bad father
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:47:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23869249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifdragonscouldtalk/pseuds/ifdragonscouldtalk, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pepin_the_Short/pseuds/Pepin_the_Short
Summary: “Yes, I believe, perhaps, we may be able to help.”The Detective let out a soft sigh, sounding relieved. “Thank you Spock, I really appreciate it. Let me know if Jim agrees.”“I shall text you.”The phone clicked and Spock put his head down on his desk, wondering what exactly he just got himself into.AKA the Star Trek But it's Psych (2006) AU that no one asked for, with a side-helping of Spirk, Spones, and trauma: Episode 2. An understanding of the show Psych is not necessary for the consumption of this fic.This episode - Spock's crush is out of hand, Jim is questioning some things, Leonard is curious about them both, and they manage to solve (or more accurately, stumble into) a case in the meantime.
Relationships: James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Spock, James T. Kirk & Spock, James T. Kirk/Spock, Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Spock
Series: Your Worst Inhibitions (Psych AU) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656292
Comments: 16
Kudos: 38





	1. Planning Without Acting

**Author's Note:**

> Talon: What's up! This fic actually isn't fully complete, but Pep was so excited that we're posting the first chapter now! Hopefully it won't interfere with us posting the next chapter next week as usual, since it just needs to go through some editing, but fair warning that this is finals week for both of us so that might not happen. In any case, this fic is way more exposition! A bit less plotty, a bit more fluffy, it's just a bit of a fun time. (Pep wouldn't let me jump straight into the angst town we have planned for the next installment.... so depending on your outlook, you may thank her or urge her to allow me my bloodthirst.)   
> Pepin: Hey yall! Hope you aren't too bored stuck at home. Here's a nice little breather before we hit angst town in the next work. The next chapter should be posted later this week if finals doesn't kill my brain power. Hope yall have a wonderful week!

“Chris, I like to think we’re friends,” was what Leonard decided to open with, standing off-duty in his boss’s doorway. 

“Hardly,” was Pike’s reply, dry and sarcastic, and he looked up from his computer. “What do you want, McCoy?” Leonard just looked at him, arms crossed and brow raised, waiting until Pike sighed to step in and close the door. “You want to know about Jim and Spock.”

“Got it in one,” Leonard said, just as dry. “How do you know them? They seemed pretty pissed at you.”

“They’ve got a right to be,” Chris muttered as Leonard took the seat across the desk, rubbing a hand over his face. “This isn’t official, alright? You’re off-duty, I’m taking a break.” Leonard tilted his head. 

“Alright,” he said slowly. “I’m listening.” Chris narrowed his eyes, studying him. 

“I tell you this, you tell me what you’ve been hiding about Jocelyn.” Leonard considered it, rubbing a hand over his face before sighing. 

“Fine.”

“They are the worst failure of my entire career, and of the career of every cop in this office that was around.” Leonard blinked, sitting forward, watching quietly as Chris gathered his thoughts.

“I let them down, didn’t believe them when they needed me to. They were the ones to pay the price for it and I won’t ever be able to make it up to them. I don’t think they’ll ever be able to forgive me for it, either.” Chris ran his hands over his face. “I’m not going to sit here and tell their story for them, that's not my place, but they’ve been through a lot and a big part of that is my fault.” 

“Alright, don’t tell me the story,” Leonard said after a moment, because he agreed it was probably something he needed to hear from them. “Just tell me if I’m right or not. They were abused, and because Spock’s dad was an officer, when they tried to tell y’all, you didn’t believe them?” 

Chris nodded, silent. “I wasn’t around them all that often,” he sighed. “Although they were in the station more than they should’ve been. But I found out later that some of my officers had seen bruises on the boys. I don’t know if it was Sarek, Jim’s step-father was a piece of shit too, but they were all too scared of Sarek to do anything about it.” 

Leonard’s grimace almost turned into a snarl as he let out the harsh breath from between his teeth. “And of course,” Chris continued lowly, meeting his eyes steadily, and only the regret and anger there kept him from lashing out, “you saw their reaction when they  _ did _ see Sarek again. I was fucking blind, Len.” 

Leonard narrowed his eyes, a frown forming. “Why was Sarek here, Chris?” 

“Seemed he saw their names in the news. Didn’t like that his, his words not mine, ‘former child’ was running around making a fool of himself and mucking up an investigation with supposedly psychic powers. He never did like alternate methods of investigation. I guess he and Spock haven’t talked since Spock got back from college, either, and he didn’t know Jim was still around. He was petitioning me to arrest them for obstruction of justice or something.” Chris shrugged, glancing out his window. “I told him to fuck off.” 

Leonard felt himself relax at that. “Good.”

“Your turn,” Chris said, quirking a small smile. “What did Jim mean when he said your divorce was messy? Their complaints were enough for me to move her, but why did you hide it from me?” 

Leonard went stiff and he wet his lips nervously. Silence stretched on as he stared at his chief, who was watching patiently. He looked away as a muscle in his jaw flexed. “I couldn’t...”

Chris prompted him gently. “Couldn’t what, Leonard?”

He swallowed. “I couldn’t tell you. It would just be worse. She... she kicked me out when you transferred her. She’s trying to take Jo-” He choked off, looking away. “Shit, Chris, it’s stupid. I should be able to handle it.”

“It’s okay if you can’t,” was all Chris said. “It’s shitty that she’s trying to take Jo from you. It’s okay if it hurts or if you don’t know what to say. But I... I’m not going to make the same mistake twice, Len. I’m here for you, for anything.” 

Silence reigned in the office. Leonard stared at the floor, measuring out his next words. “... She can be a cruel woman when she wants to be, Chris.” There was silence again. He looked up as his chief stood and made his way around the desk to rest his hands on his shoulders, warm, a soft touch that almost made him flinch, surprise at how nice it felt to be near another human filling him. 

“You should talk to Jim and Spock,” he said quietly. “They’ll understand better than I can. But I’m here for whatever you want to say, if you just want to drink, or if you need a place to crash. I’m rooting for you, Len.” He gave a wry smile. “Never much liked Jocelyn anyway.” 

A breath shuddered out of him as he felt himself deflate. “Maybe not a drink,” he said. “She’s trying to use my after-work whiskeys against me. But you know I’ll never turn down a coffee.” Chris chuckled, probably just to break the tension, and leaned back against the corner of his desk. “Chris, I’d like to ask them to help with the flakka case.” 

“Leonard, if you think you can get them anywhere near police work again with those charming blue eyes of yours, you’re a miracle worker and you can be my guest.” 

Leonard snorted.

Spock’s phone rang. His personal phone. The only people who knew his personal phone number were Jim and, more recently, Detective McCoy. A small spike of worry shot through him when he thought about why either would call his personal phone, although he had told Leonard to contact him if he needed his mother’s information for the custody battle. He snatched the phone off his desk, quelling his anxiety. 

“Hello?” 

“Spock? This is Detective Leonard McCoy, I was wondering if I could ask you something?” 

“Technically, you just did, Detective, but yes, you may.” Spock tapped his pen on the desk, tucking the phone to his ear with his shoulder and reaching out to his keyboard to confirm his mother still had the same office building, suddenly realizing how long it had been since he had spoken to her. He needed to call her soon.

“Well, I’m sorry to ask this of you, but considering how amazing your, uh,  _ abilities _ were on the last case, I figured I might ask. I’m stuck on my current case and I was wondering if you and Jim could help?” 

Spock froze, fingers numb to his keyboard, teeth clenched and eyes blinking rapidly. 

Leonard waited for Spock’s answer, and, hearing none, continued on. “I understand if either you or Jim can’t or don’t want to. You two solved the last one quite spectacularly and I thought you might be able to help my block, but maybe not. Sorry if I bothered you then, I assume you’re busy.”

Spock took another moment to gather himself, dropping his pen on the desk and taking a breath to quench the anxiety fluttering in his chest. “I shall have to ask Jim’s opinion,” Spock finally said, slowly, hesitant. “I am... not opposed to seeing you again, Detective, however I believe you have adequately seen for yourself our... aversion to police work.”

“Right.”

“And we both do hold jobs, of course... However, given the circumstances, and depending on the nature of the case...” Slowly, he felt his heart calming, no longer trying to jump out of his chest, and he realized he could ignore a potential impending visit to the police station and the reminder of what occurred upon their last visit only a few days ago if he simply thought of Leonard’s piercing eyes, listened to his soft breathing. “Yes, I believe, perhaps, we may be able to help.” 

The Detective let out a soft sigh, sounding relieved. “Thank you Spock, I really appreciate it. Let me know if Jim agrees.” 

“I shall text you.”

The phone clicked and Spock put his head down on his desk, wondering what exactly he just got himself into. 

“Spock, I say this with the best of intentions: literally what the fuck?” Jim was staring at him incredulously, eyes wide and hands spread to emphasize, and Spock glanced away, blushing. “Can you not be, like, incredibly and disasterously gay for one second?”

“Can you not be incredibly and performatively heterosexual for one second?” Spock shot back, then winced. Jim laughed, shaking his head, and Spock blushed harder, clutching his fingers together. “Jim, this is not because of my attraction. Leonard believes we can help him with the case, he said it was supposedly simple but he was stuck. It is not any different from what we did with the news. We shall look for clues, give him what he needs, and we will never need to set foot in the precinct.” 

Jim sighed, his expression sombered. He ran his hands through his hair, thinking it over. “The shop isn’t super busy right now, and if you’re okay with it then I’m okay with it. Leonard is a good detective and if he needs our help then he must really need it.”

Spock graced him with a small, true smile. “Thank you Jim.” 

Jim smiled back. 

They met Leonard for breakfast early the next morning. They were at their favorite coffee shop, one they’d been to hundreds of times over the years. It was a small place, but it had great coffee and Jim was a sucker for their sticky buns. They sat in their corner booth, by the window, when the door jangled and the Detective came strolling in with a serious expression and a file tucked under his arm. His gaze softened when he spied the two of them into something friendlier. He slid into the seat across from them and Jim snuck a glance at Spock, watching him fidget with his sleeves under the table. 

“Thank you both for agreeing to meet with me, I know the both of you aren’t comfortable at the station.” 

Jim flashed a smile, all teeth, still feeling a bit put off that he had allowed Spock to talk him into this. “At least when we’re in the interrogation room we're not.” 

Spock promptly elbowed him, not breaking eye contact with Leonard as Jim pouted at him and smacked his hand in retaliation. “He means ‘thank you’. We appreciate you taking note of our preferences, Detective.” 

Leonard’s eyes sparkled with amusement and Jim felt his shoulders untense a bit as he nodded and began to lay out papers from his file. Various evidence, photographs, time sheets, statements, and even a map were strewn across the table, careful of the drinks and pastries, and Jim drank them in with curious eyes, watching as Spock skimmed over the material quickly, the cute furrow he got between his eyebrows when he was thinking showing. “There's a new drug being distributed around town, and we’re fairly certain that Cinco Reyes street gang is the one distributing it.” 

Jim had heard of Cinco Reyes before -- they were a major suspect in a drive-by shooting just a few months ago, and he tamped down the worry that settled heavy in his stomach. Like Spock had said, they weren’t going to be in any danger; they’d take a look at the evidence, maybe do some of their own snooping, and then they’d “divine” the solution for Leonard, and they wouldn’t let themselves be talked into another case again. Easy, right? 

So not easy. Spock would be the death of him. He shoved a bite of sticky bun in his mouth to hide his disease, squinting at the map Leonard had laid out, trying to make sense of the markings. Leonard shuffled some of papers around, pointing to a list of names and buildings. “We have members and some older fronts, but we have no clue where they’re getting this drug or how it’s being distributed.” Jim garbled something around a mouthful of sticky bun. At the raised eyebrow from the Detective, Spock sighed. 

“He said ‘what drug is it?’. You are disgusting, Jim, chew your food.” Jim rolled his eyes as he swallowed, taking a breath as he realized they were both too tense and leaning over to wrap an arm around Spock’s waist, feeling him relax against his side and take his own deep breath.

“It’s called flakka, it’s bath salts cut with some damn strong hallucinogenics. We’ve been looking for the manufacturer, it doesn’t seem it’s coming over the border, although we’re looking into that aspect too. We can’t find any pattern with the distribution, but four people have already ended up dead because of it, it’s some nasty shit. We have enough to take down the main hub, but that won’t help any with the distribution if we can’t cut off the manufacturing at the source.” 

Jim could tell Spock’s anxiety was rising as his leg began to shake beneath the table, squeezing his waist before reaching forward to pull the papers closer. Spock glanced at him and he smiled softly back, allowing Spock to take comfort in his relative calm. They weren’t in any danger, and they wouldn’t be. “Is it safe for us to be involved in this, Leonard? Are we allowed access to this information?” Spock asked as he poured over the information the Detective had provided, looking for any patterns.

Leonard nodded, watching them both closely, surely cataloging the nervous frown of Spock’s eyebrows and his tense shoulders, understanding that they were uncomfortable, even if not fully understanding the extent of the favor they were doing for him. “I asked the Chief and if you both agreed, you could technically be doing consulting work, which allows you access to this.” 

“Relax, Spock,” Jim said, clapping a hand on his shaking leg absentmindedly, and Spock glared at him. “You worry too much.” Spock’s leg stilled as he rolled his eyes, but he reached forward to look over the papers as well, taking the small admonishment for what it was.  _ This was your idea! _

“One of us needs to,” he replied dryly. “Flakka is quite serious. We have been hearing about it at work -- we have had to tighten our security again, as there is no indication of how they are getting the hallucinogenics to cut it.” 

Jim frowned, thinking, and gave a small ‘hmm’ to Spock. He pulled a few of the lists and the oddly marked map toward him. These lists weren’t visual enough for him. “Hey Bones, you have a marker or something?”

Leonard furrowed his eyebrows. “Uh, yeah I think so?” he answered as he dug around his bag. Jim took the offered Sharpie and in big, black circles marked the confirmed and suspected Cinco Reyes properties from the list. The map must’ve been suspected distribution routes, as now he could see the arrows leading from property to property, up and down town. “See anything Spock?” he asked, glancing over at him to watch him study the marks. 

Spock turned and raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, they are evenly spaced apart.” Spock always was very good at stating the obvious -- and humans were very good at creating ‘random’ patterns that were actually evenly spaced. Jim snorted, rolling his eyes. 

“I mean, anything else?” 

“There seems to be a subtle dip on the left side.” 

Leonard nodded, studying them both as much as they were studying the case files. “That’s where their territory starts to butt up against another. We already considered that.” Spock tilted his head, frowning at the map. He had that look on his face that meant he had noticed something else and wanted to tell them, but believed it was probably nothing, or it was unrelated to the case. Jim glanced at him, also frowning, figuring he could always ask him what he’d seen later. For now, they needed to come up with a plan to trace one of the distribution channels without getting too close to the danger.

This was not as uncomplicated as Spock had led him to believe. 

“How did you know about flakka anyway, Spock? I guess I never really asked where y’all work,” Leonard said after a few moments of silence. Spock blinked, dragged out of his thoughts. 

“I work for Burton Pharmaceuticals.” He flushed, hoping Leonard wouldn’t ask what he did -- sales representative wasn’t exactly what he had planned when he had studied pre-med. “Jim is assistant manager for Shawn’s Motors. I had assumed those were in our files.” 

“No,” Leonard said, glancing away, eyes narrowed. “Those files were... weirdly censored. I have no idea where Joce even got them, she won’t tell me. Chris wasn’t very happy about it, when he found out we had your juvenile files.” Spock and Jim glanced at each other before looking back at the files in front of them, both deciding it was a problem for future them. 

“Hm. You mind if I keep this map, Bones?” Jim asked, shoving the rest of his sticky bun in his mouth and shotgunning the rest of his coffee, to Spock’s disgust. Leonard raised a brow, amusement sparkling in his eyes again, and Spock thought his little crush was getting a bit out of hand, considering he had barely known the man a week. 

“Be my guest.”

“Thanks,” Jim said around a mouthful, and Spock let out a disgusted sound, prompting him to swallow before speaking again. “Spock and I will get back to you. We’ve gotta, y’know, go commune with the spirits for a bit.” 

“We-” Spock blinked, staring at his friend, catching himself from saying something stupid and incriminating. “Right. Thank you, Detective.” 

“No, no, I should be thanking you,” Leonard said with a smile as they stood. “Just, y’know, call me.” 

“See you later, Bones,” Jim chirped with a lazy salute as he dragged Spock out the door, map tucked under his arm. 

“Jim,” Spock hissed. “What are you planning?”

“What do you mean?”

“We do not ‘commune with the spirits,’ we are not psychic. I can only assume you have some plan that will get us into enormous amounts of trouble again, and I would like to be informed beforehand this time.”

“Well, it’s really quite straightforward. We’ll just go to one of these shops and -- get this -- shop.” 

They wandered through the city for several hours, exhaustion slowly creeping through Spock as his anxiety continued to climb with every location they visited. Now they were at an old pawn shop, casually walking around and browsing the overpriced, under-cleaned “antiques”. Or, Jim was browsing. Spock was following him like a puppy that had just been kicked, shoulders tight with anxiety even though he had taken his medication in the car, eyes flickering wildly around the store. 

“Dude, calm down or they’re going to get suspicious,” he hissed as they were hidden in a corner, ostensibly studying a toaster that had seen better days. Spock stilled and peaked toward the broker sitting at the front of the shop, head buried in the newspaper. He shot a glare at Jim.

“I cannot stay calm when I know what this store is meant for, James,” Spock snarled back, hands tight behind his back, fingers twisting together. He wished he had thought to shove a tangle in his pocket when he left the house that morning, but he had been overwhelmed with the idea of seeing Leonard again like a teenage boy with his first crush, embarrassing and unnecessary.

“It’ll be okay, Spock. We're just shopping.” Jim huffed, rolling his eyes as he surreptitiously scanned the other shoppers -- all two of them, an old white lady and a short Hispanic man. 

Spock resisted the urge to roll his own eyes, reaching out to grab Jim’s arm too tightly as he went to walk away. “May we be done shopping?” 

“Spock-”

He clenched his jaw before taking a measured breath.“Every crate in this store is labelled with the old Tylers’ Seafood label. Perhaps we could go look at the warehouse. May we be done shopping?” His hand slipped off Jim’s arm and he glanced around, leaning closer to press his forehead against Jim’s temple. “I am tired, Jim. I would like to stop.” 

Jim blinked and looked around, dislodging his comfortable place against his temple and making him frown slightly. “Every crate?” 

Spock rubbed his cuffs, agitated, and huffed. “Yes, Jim. Every crate. You remember when Tylers’ went out of business 6 years ago? They never sold the warehouse, it’s still down by the water falling apart. Jeffreys was complaining about it decreasing waterfront property value the other day.” 

“Oh... huh.” Jim turned and grinned at him, reaching out to gently touch his hand. It made Spock’s heart race, glancing down. Jim was always physical with him -- Jim was physical with everyone -- but he was so careful to refrain from doing anything that could be construed as romantic, his fears,  _ their _ fears, preventing them from being open with what they were to each other. This looked like he had gone to grab his hand and stopped himself. Spock wished he had grabbed his hand. “Okay, you want to get lunch first? I don’t want to walk around a warehouse on an empty stomach.”

Spock took a breath, glancing around one last time. “... Waffle House?” 

“Waffle House!”


	2. Acting Without Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Leonard is going to see our dead bodies. Dead. Bruised. That is not attractive. I do not want him to see my dead body, Jim. He has not even seen my live body.”  
> “Spock, this is no time to thirst over Leonard! And he’s not going to see your dead body! We’re not going to die! He’ll have plenty of time to see your living body!”
> 
> Warning for a panic attack and mentions of PTSD-like flashbacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talon: We worked hard to get this out for y'all! Just kidding lol it was mostly done, I hope you guys like it, let us know what you think. It's just a bit of fluffy boy goodness! Not sure when we'll be done with the next section, but we'll try to get it done before the end of May, although warning that is going to be very violence heavy, we'll be sure to include a short summary of it on the section after in case you'd like to skip it.  
> Pepin: Hi yall! Finished my exams yesterday, woohoo. Hope your week was good! This chapter was a bit longer than expected lol. Also Leonard has big dumb energy. This story isn't as fluffy as when I was thinking of the concept but there is a good bit of relationship growth and learning from our three favorite hooligans. Jim and spock somehow keep throwing themselves into sticky stituations. Also fairwarning for panic attacks and a flashback mentioned.

“Leonard,” Spock whispered, flinched when even that sounded too loud to his ears. The sun was setting, harsh to his eyes, and he squinted around the docks, the skin between his shoulders prickling as alarms blared in his head. “I am going to ask you for a favor, and I really need you to say yes.”

“Spock? What’s up?” The Detective’s voice was too loud, grating in his ears, and he glanced around, anxiety pressing against his throat harshly. He could just barely see Jim making a ruckus between his captors, voice carrying across the dock even if he couldn’t make out the words.

“I believe Jim is about to be killed. Please send someone down here to Dock 7, the old Tylers’ Seafood warehouse.”

“Wh- Listen, Spock, I’m on my way, but you have to give me more information than that.” There was clattering from Leonard’s end of the line and Spock glanced around again, trying to keep his fear under control. Leonard was on the way, and Jim would be fine. 

“Drop the phone.” Spock flinched at the loud voice behind him and hung his head, licking his lips and swallowing down his fear and panic. Leonard was on the way, they would be fine, the Detective would be here soon.

“ _Shit_ ,” he hissed emphatically before following the directive, raising his hands up next to his head, wincing as his phone was smashed underfoot. He was grabbed roughly, hands on the nape of his neck and the back of his shirt, and was half-dragged-half-walked over to where Jim, who grinned sheepishly at him. He felt his teeth clench together. “Jim, do not start.” 

They were being dragged into the warehouse now, bright lights burning their eyes, activity bustling around them. Tables lined with chemistry tools and the smell of smoke and chemicals filled the room, but Spock didn’t bother to get a closer look as they were dragged to the corner and shoved to their knees against a pole, hands zip-tied around it, staring at each other where they sat. 

“Don’t start what?” Jim had the nerve to say, and Spock shook his bound hands instead of replying, hoping his glare was cold enough to convey his dissatisfaction with the situation. Jim hunkered down, the best at a placating look he could attempt. “In my defense, it really did look empty?” 

“You are an idiot and I cannot believe I’m going to die here. I hate you, James Tiberius Kirk.” He pouted, exaggerated, making his eyes huge and wet in the way that made girls immediately fall over him and Spock want to smack him. 

“Well that’s hurtful.” 

“Jim, we are about to experience bodily harm. This is a street gang, and they have been connected to murders before! And you owe me a new phone!” The man who had dragged Spock over was standing in front of them, hands on his hips, staring at them both like they were some wild animals on exhibit, and it made the urge to snap and scream rise higher on the back of Spock’s tongue, his heart fluttering like it was about to stop. Shouting was rising around the warehouse, echoing off the walls, glass clattering together as they began to break down the lab.

“You guys are insane, huh?” the man said, and Jim stared at him for a few seconds before busting out laughing. 

“No, I just have zero impulse control,” Jim answered immediately. Spock glanced toward the ceiling as if that would extend patience that had already run out or revive his sanity. 

“Jim, if I could smack you right now I would.” He swallowed convulsively, shaking his head and trying to push down the rising panic attack for just a few more seconds, not wanting the gang members to see him cry prematurely. Jim needed to know he needed to find some way to stall, that he had managed to contact Leonard and he was on his way. Unfortunately, all Spock could think about was how much he did not want Leonard and Christopher to dredge their bodies out of the bay, hanging his head. “Leonard is going to see our dead bodies. Dead. Bruised. That is not attractive. I do not want him to see my dead body, Jim. He has not even seen my _live_ body.” 

“Spock, this is no time to thirst over Leonard! And he’s not going to see your dead body! We’re not going to die! He’ll have plenty of time to see your living body!”

Spock glared at Jim, opening his mouth to retort, but cut himself off with an unmanly whimper when the gang member fisted a hand in his hair, forcing him to meet his eyes. “Who the hell is Leonard? Who are you two?” the man hissed, and Spock blinked rapidly, suddenly remembering the full gravity of the situation they were in. Jim seemed to be able to distract him even in the worst of situations. He kept his mouth shut, glancing at Jim helplessly.

“Only the guy Spock has been mooning over for months.” Spock blinked. They had known Leonard less than a week, and it was true his crush was pathetically obvious, but months was a huge stretch. “He's a disaster. And Leonard’s a disaster too, ‘cause he is so oblivious! Spock won’t make his move.” Jim turned his face back to Spock and he stared back, eyebrows furrowing in a frown. “Spock you really have to make your move. I know Leonard just got divorced, but like, really?” 

The gangster furrowed his eyebrows, crossing his arms, giving Spock a good view of the Blackhawk in his waistband, his fear and panic spiking. The air tasted of salt as he gulped it in as surreptitiously as possible, trying to feed his starving lungs. “Wait, he just got divorced and you want your buddy to make a move on him?” 

Jim slowly shifted his gaze back, and stared at the man as if he was the stupidest person in the room. “Yes?”

“Leonard isn’t ready for a serious relationship yet,” he stressed, hoping Jim would get the point and _drop it._ While his statement was true, it was true that _he_ wasn’t ready for a serious relationship yet either, and considering they had known each other approximately 9 and a half days, they weren’t about to be in one any time soon. Plus, the longer they were discussing the Detective, the more of a chance there would be that one of them would let the ‘detective’ part slip. His heart was beating double in his chest, nausea rolling in his stomach as he tried to breathe evenly.

The gangster just nodded sagely. “Maybe a relationship is what he needs though,” he said conversationally, and Spock turned to stare at him, appalled that they were really having a discussion about his non-existent love life right before he was killed brutally. “I mean, how long was he married? He might not know how _not_ to have a relationship. You could be good for him.”

“Oh my God,” was all Spock could whisper, hysteria and panic tied together in his stomach, his fingers cold and trembling. 

“Not to mention his daughter,” Jim added. “I mean, you’d be good for her, Spock. A good, balancing influence.”

“Balancing?” Spock said, because he didn’t know what else to say. “If Leonard does not know how not to be in a relationship, it is all the more reason to not enter one with him now. He should learn how to be himself before attempting to entwine himself with another. And I can be a good influence for Joanna without being in a romantic relationship with her father, although it is a moot point considering I have not met her!” 

“The fuck are you talking about with them?” some other gangster called across the room, stomping over as his hand teased the handgun in the waistband of his jeans, making Spock cringe back and shake despite himself, breaths shallow and desperate. 

“This guy has been mooning over some dude named Leonard who just got a divorce,” the gangster called to the room at large, and Spock felt his breath freeze in his chest when there was a pause in activity as gangsters glanced over at him, unhelped by Jim’s helpless laughing at his side. 

“When did he get the divorce?” 

“A few months ago,” Jim supplied helpfully. Spock felt like he was having an out of body experience, staring at the three, positive someone in the room was insane but not sure it wasn’t him. The smell of chemicals and sea salt intensified, and he had to focus on calming his breathing as he looked at Jim. 

The gangster turned to the other one that had been talking with them before. “I don’t know dude, that seems pretty soon, especially if it was a messy break up. Maybe he wants to let him get his feet back under him first?” He turned to Spock. “Do you want to let him get his feet back under him first?” 

Spock gaped, his eyes continuously flicking down to the guns inches from his face without his consent. “I mean,” he said slowly, when it became apparent they were all waiting for his serious answer, “he and his ex are still fighting over custody. I just, I do not know if it is the right time... And I am quite awkward, he hardly knows me, Jim does most of the talking. I am still unclear if he even... likes men.” It was effort to make his voice come out even and not shaky, effort to focus on the conversation as the warehouse seemed to pulse around him, lights piercing into his head.

There was a collective ‘hmmm’. 

Jim was the first one to speak up, nudging him gently with his elbow. “Well, I think he still likes you Spock, and considers you a friend? Maybe you just need to spend some more time together, you know, like no pressure or anything?” The other two nodded. Spock just nodded dumbly back, not sure how he got to this moment in his life but sure it had something to do with being a horrible disappointment. 

There was a shout and the two gangsters looked up, turning away from them. “Okay, okay, we’re getting back to work.” He one glanced back at Spock before he left, and Spock couldn’t help but focus on his scarred knuckles as he walked away, on the fact that they had been taken hostage and were about to be killed or kidnapped or something equally horrible. “Hope it works out for you.” 

“Works out?” Spock whispered to himself, looking at Jim, who seemed completely unconcerned. Granted, he was a bit pleased that he now had two gangsters rooting for his love life, but at the same time, the gangsters had tied him and Jim up and were presumably going to kill them. How would things _work out?_

They waited there for what could have been half an hour or a few hours, no way for them to check. Spock shivered against the pole, sure it and Jim were the only things holding him up, breath shuddering in and out of his chest as the blond tried to calm him, whispering useless nothings in his ear. “It’ll be fine, Spock, they’ll be here soon. Just focus on your breathing, focus on me. Tell me about what’s been happening at work?” He remained silent, trying not to sink in the feeling that he was drowning on dry land, his panic ratcheting up when he realized they were yards away from somewhere he could drown for real, if these gangsters wanted him to. 

Jim waited in silence for a few beats before continuing. “Okay, that’s alright, Spock. We had a car that just came in, keeps leaking oil or burning it up, all the owners could tell us is that they have to keep putting oil in it. I think a seal might be broken somewhere. Someone else brought their car in and somehow they broke a piece of their transmission, never seen anything like it. I'm going to do a few oil changes and tire rotations on Thursday.”

The lab was mostly broken down, now, the gangsters having each scattered with crates and chemicals in their arms, and the smell of smoke and chemical was gone now, replaced with the overwhelming stench of the sea and old fish. Spock swallowed down his nausea, shaking with it, as he stared down at his feet, not realizing how welcoming the smell of pharmaceuticals had become to him, not willing to make eye contact with any of those remaining and risk their wraths. He shifted slightly, so he could lean his head against Jim’s arm, squeezing his eyes shut so he could soak in the warmth at his temple.

By this point the man who had been in charge of guarding them had dozed slightly, slumping in his chair. He jolted awake once the remaining people milling about started shouting, everything starting to go to chaos. There was a racket from above them, shouting, a few gunshots. The gangster looked toward it and then back down to them, hesitating. “You two… stay here.” 

Jim gave him a deadpan look and shook his hands at him. 

He left into the depths of the warehouse and the two of them were left alone. There was some more shouting, the words indistinguishable. The air was still, almost as if the building itself was holding its breath. Shots rang out, echoing across the metal siding. Spock and Jim both glanced at each other, uncomfortable in the sudden stillness, fear rising in them the longer they sat with no one in sight. 

“Did you really have to speak to them about my non-existent relationship with Leonard?” Spock said after a moment, tugging on the zip-tie, his body still tense and cold. Jim rolled his eyes, glad at least he had given him an opportunity to distract him; they both knew this panic attack was only going to get worse before it got better, and he could tell Spock’s energy was draining quick. 

“ _You’re_ the one who brought him up!” He was indignant in his mock offense, tugging at his own zip-tie and wincing when it dug into his skin. 

“Because I wanted to let you know I had managed to call him.” Spock huffed at him.

“Well I had to give them _something_ Spock, what did you _want_ me to say?” His tone was more playful than anything, a gentle distraction. 

They froze and fell silent as footsteps resounded against the concrete. Jim could feel Spock’s panicked wheeze against his skin, a soft, desperate sob of fear, and the tremble of anxiety. 

Detective Leonard McCoy rounded the corner, gun drawn, tense and sweating. Relief washed over him the second he saw the two of them. They let out the breaths they had been holding, staring up at him and sagging where they sat. “Thank fucking God,” he said, taking in Spock’s pale face and Jim’s grin. “You can’t just say shit like that and then hang up, Spock.”

“I did not have much of a choice in the matter, Detective,” Spock replied, voice shockingly even, and Jim knew it was the calm before the storm. 

Leonard sighed and ran a hand through his hair, flicking the safety of his gun on. “You two okay? How the _hell_ did you end up here?” 

Jim’s grin widened slightly. “We’re no worse for wear, our wrists might be sore tomorrow though.”

Spock thunked his head against the pole, exhaustion in the lines of his body, and Leonard could see the subtle trembling of the man from here. “Jim is an idiot. That is how we got here.” 

“We’ll give you the whole spiel later, can you get these zip-ties off us first?” Jim gave his disarming smile, which Leonard was quickly learning not to trust, and Spock thunked his forehead harder against the pole they were tied to, making him wince sympathetically as he stepped forward with his multitool.

“Sure. But guys, you’re going to have to give me the whole story of how you got to here from breakfast this morning. How y’all figured this out is beyond me.” Leonard checked his watch -- it was already 8PM. He winced. “You guys want to grab something to eat and tell me instead of going to the station? Let’s get you on your feet.” Jim nodded, but his gaze was focused on Spock, nudging him when he was silent for a moment too long.

“I fear when I stand, I am going to pass out,” Spock replied, voice quiet and ashamed, and the Detective stared for a moment, processing. 

“Well,” he said finally, holstering his gun. “That might be a problem, then.” 

Leonard knelt down and snipped the zip-ties with his multitool. Immediately, they rubbed their wrists, trying to get some feeling back in them. “Jim, are you good to stand?” 

The blond stretched and popped his back, smiling back at him and giving a thumbs up. “Yeah, should be.” 

The Detective nodded once. “Good.” He turned to Spock. “I’m going to help you up, don’t worry about falling, I can handle your weight.” The man was flushed red but nodded, allowing Leonard to take his hand and pull him up, steadying him with a hand at his back as he wavered. “You good?”

“Marginally,” Spock replied, and Jim winced. Leonard watched the byplay silently, tightening his grip on Spock’s elbow. Jim stepped forward, running a hand down Spock’s other arm and muttering something too soft for him to hear in his ear, making him smile for the faintest moment. 

“You are not. I am sleeping at your place tonight and you can call my boss,” Spock answered, and his voice was definitely trembling now, matching the shivers Leonard could feel in his body. Jim frowned, whining.

“But she hates me!”

“With good reason.” 

“Alright, hey,” Leonard interrupted, gripping Spock’s waist a bit tighter. “Anything I can help with?” Spock’s cheeks were flushed as he looked away, shaking his head, and Jim sighed, glancing around at the other cops milling about like he was about to say something secret. 

“Spock, he can help.”

“No.”

“Spock, just- we have to give him our statement, and it’ll be better if you just get it done now.” Spock took another shuddering breath, his eyes squeezed shut and his face red with apparent shame, and when he opened them they were wet with tears. 

“Jim, please.” Something must’ve passed between the two as they stared at each other, because Spock was looking away, a silent tear tracking down his face, and Jim was turning to him, hands wringing together with energy.

“He’s, uh, he’s just, y’know. Right on the verge.” Leonard stared blankly. He didn’t know. Jim sighed. “Of like, a panic attack.” Understanding dawned on his face as all of his sensitivity class and more than a few of his own panic attacks flashed in his head.

“It is inconvenient, I know,” Spock muttered, apparently embarrassed about it, which had to make it all so much worse. 

“None of that now, it’s fine, Spock. Do you want me to take you outside or just keep everyone else away?” Leonard stepped, maneuvering to put himself bodily between the two of them and the other officers.

“Is your car outside?” Jim asked after a moment of silence, taking Spock’s other arm and pulling him away. Spock’s eyes were glazed over, staring at them both silently, and Leonard ached with the wish he could help in some way, feeling small in the face of Jim’s complete understanding of his lover. 

“Yeah, how do you think I got here?” he answered gruffly, leading them both out, glaring at the other cops when they glanced their way. “Here, get in.” Jim packed Spock carefully into the backseat, motioning for Leonard to squeeze in next to him while he climbed in the front passenger. 

“What do you need, Spock?” Spock blinked, looking up at him and shaking his head silently, and Jim sighed. “Shit, he’s already gone.” A weak sob escaped Spock at that as his fisted his hands in the hem of his sweater, and Jim winced. “No, baby, it’s okay. I’m not frustrated, I promise. Let’s grab him some dinner, if you don’t mind, Bones?” 

“‘Course, burgers?” 

“Yeah, sure.” Leonard watched as Spock began to shiver as if cold, silent tears falling gently down his cheeks, and his chest ached worse, looking to Jim for help. 

“You got a blanket? Nevermind -- where’s your keys? I’ll drive. Hold him, it’ll help.” 

“Oh, alright, sure.” Leonard adjusted so Spock was leaning heavily against him, almost across his chest. Leonard wrapped an arm around his back, tugging him closer. “This okay, Spock?” He took a shuddering breath before reaching out to clutch his arm, nodding silently. 

“Sorry,” was breathed against his chest, and Leonard shook his head as he texted Scotty to take over the scene processing for him. 

“It happens to all of us,” he said as he tossed Jim the keys and watched him scramble over the center console instead of getting out and walking around like a regular person. “‘Sides, it’s a scary situation.” 

Leonard stared at Jim’s so-called ‘apartment,’ as they bundled Spock out of the car, still shivering silently as he clutched their take-out to his chest and watched Jim unlock the door. “You live here?” he said as Jim flicked the lights on and led Spock to the couch. 

“Yeah, rent is super cheap.” The rotating clothes rack of the old laundromat was apparently put to good use, as it took up half of the living room and had both Jim’s clothes and some that were definitely Spock’s hanging. Its presence didn’t seem to bother either man, so Leonard elected to ignore it as well.

“Oh,” was all he could think to reply, taking a seat next to them on the couch as Jim spread the food out on the coffee table. Spock sunk into the cushions between them, curling into himself after he toed his shoes off and shoved them under the table, hunching down as if he wanted to hide.

“Sorry,” Spock whispered again, throat thick with the tears he kept wiping away. 

“It’s okay, Spock,” Jim said, shoving a soda into his hands. “What do you need?”

“Cold,” Spock choked out, and Leonard tugged off his jacket, wrapping it around the man’s shoulders. “Thanks.” He sucked down the sugary drink, eyes heavy and wet and not looking at either of them.

“No problem.” 

“Can I tell Bones what happened?” Jim asked after a moment, glancing at the jacket as he laid a thick blanket from the back of the couch across Spock’s legs, and Leonard blushed, watching his hands brush against his lover’s hair tenderly. 

“Yeah,” Spock croaked, taking a few deep breaths before reaching out for his food. “Thanks.” 

Jim looked at Leonard, smiling sheepishly, and he couldn’t help but think the man looked more honest now than he had ever seen him. “So after we separated from breakfast, the, um, spirits wanted us to go downtown. The map was calling out to me when I took it. We wandered around for a few hours when we finally stopped at a pawnshop that was one of the old fronts from the list you had. We got a really strong vibe in there about the docks, and made it down to there in the late afternoon and were checking out around Tylers’. I thought it was empty and went inside and Spock followed me. Turns out... wasn’t empty. In fact, it was the base of their manufacturing, surprise! We got spotted, I got caught, Spock called you, then Spock got caught. We bided our time with hilarious banter and you showed up and saved the day!”

“It was not hilarious,” Spock said, but his voice held no strength to it, Leonard was frightened to realize he found the small scowl cute as the man shoved french fries in his mouth. 

“Well it worked,” Jim countered right back, but his voice was soft and understanding, inhaling his burger at a frightening speed. 

Spock frowned, squinting at the rack of clothes. “Jim, did you steal my nice work shirts again? I’ve been looking for that blue one for a month.” 

“I did not steal them, I was keeping them safe for you.”

Spock grumbled in response and Leonard snorted. “Finish your food, you hooligans,” he said, because he had never had any tact, no matter how many damn sensitivity trainings Chris forced him to go to. The two looked up at him, blinked, and then Jim was laughing and Spock was smiling wetly, shaky but there, and it honestly shouldn’t have been breathtaking. 

Oh shit.

He had a crush. He had a crush on _Spock,_ who was not only taken but definitely wouldn’t want him even if he wasn’t. 

God, how pathetic was he?

He smiled back, finally reaching for his own food once it seemed Spock was settling. 

It had taken some time for Spock to settle down, especially after Leonard mentioned something that had happened in the station and his panic ratcheted up again, breaths that didn’t seem to be getting him air and sobs and eyes that weren’t seeing Jim’s laundromat home. Now, finally, it was 10:30PM and he was asleep in Jim’s unmade bed, and neither one of them had kicked him out. He was in the kitchen, watching as Jim’s shaking hands prepared himself a cup of coffee, leaning against the counter. “Jim,” he said, finally breaking the silence but making sure to keep his voice down, not wanting to disturb the tentative peace. “I know a flashback when I see one.”

“Yeah?” Jim said in reply, and it came out a whisper, his hands continuing to shake. He remained silent, waiting for Jim’s hands to rest on the counter heavily, his head to hang in exhaustion and his own residual fear and panic. “What do you want, Bones? What do you want from us? Want me to tell you that we were both horribly abused, that Spock’s dad trained him to panic at everything but especially at everything police department?”

“No,” he interrupted, quiet, and rested a hand on Jim’s shoulder, rubbing the muscle there with his thumb. “I want to know how you’re doing, and what I can do to help. And I want to know what happened down at the docks, but that can wait until tomorrow, when we can write down your official statement.” 

Jim sighed. He stirred his cup of coffee absentmindedly. “Do we have to go down to the station?” 

“Normally, yes, but rules be damned. I’ll let you give your statement on the moon, if you want it.”

Jim let out an amused huff, even though he was still tense. He glanced up, and Jim was stricken by how knowing his eyes were, as if he could see right through you to the core of your being. “Are you going to tell Chris what happened? I mean, the panic attack and the... flashback?” He was quiet for a moment, sure the blond had more to say, and a second later Jim looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, I just... we, we don’t hate him, y’know? It’ll just... hurt him. We don’t want to... We never wanted to hurt anyone.” Jim snorted mirthlessly. “I mean, I’m sure he told you what... what happened. A detective like you wouldn’t let a scene like the one we made just pass without question.” Leonard tilted his head, studying, and wondered whether it was supposed to be an insult or a praise.

“The Chief gets what I give him in the official report, and none of this needs to be in it. Besides both of you are psychics, scenes are to be expected.” Leonard sipped at his cup of water, knowing if he had any coffee he’d just be screwing himself over in the morning. “And I did talk to him about the two of you, but its not my place to know your history and it wasn’t his place to tell it.” Jim seemed startled at that, looking up at him with wide eyes, before a hesitant smile split his face, almost as shaky as Spock’s had been. 

Dear lord, Leonard wondered if the two of them would be the death of him, and wondered if he even minded if they were. 

“Thanks, Bones. I mean we, we want to tell you but... but we just, we have to work some stuff out first.”

“It’s fine. Take your time, I’m less important than y’all’s health.” He gave a small smile back, and a pang rang around the emptiness in his chest as he thought he should’ve been having late night conversations with his daughter right now, not two men only a bit younger than he was. “You should get some sleep too, Jim.” 

“Yeah, probably. You’re welcome to stay, Bones.” 

“Thanks, but I really should go. I don’t want to impose. I’ll catch the both of you first thing, and we’ll get those statements out of the way.” Jim nodded, and he must’ve been imagining that he looked a bit disappointed. “And I told you not to call me that.”

“Sure thing, Bones.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, please please PLEASE tell us what you liked and speculate what's coming next! If there's anything you're confused about, we'd love to hear about it so we can clarify for you and anyone else who may be confused! Comments are what keep us running, we love you all <3


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